


Lessons of Humanity

by mickeysaint



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-11-23 23:56:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18158744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mickeysaint/pseuds/mickeysaint
Summary: In the midst of his longest battle ever, Germany finally gets the wish he'd been hoping for- to be born as a normal human being. Still haunted by the fuzzy memories of his past life, however, the country-turned-human embarks on a journey to Italy to find something- or someone- he'd been looking for. Along the way, he learns what it means to be human.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Me, writing Hetalia fanfic in 2019? It's more likely than you think. I've been having a lot of Gerita feels lately, so enjoy my latest fanfic!

_How many more?_ Germany cried out, clutching the dying German soldier in his arms. _How many of his people must he watch die before it is enough?_ He felt a hand grasp his shoulder.

“Hurry up commander, there’s no time to waste. We’ll take care of this. You still need to take care of Italy, after all.”

Germany stood up, regained his composure and thanked the soldier for his hard work. Suddenly, a new sense of panic struck his body. Where was Italy and his troops? He dashed around the battlefield having very little sense of direction. The sounds of gunfire echoed in his head and each time his soldiers got hurt, his body would feel heavier. Being the physical representation of a country was getting to be more than he could handle. But he couldn’t care less at the moment. He needed to find his ally and see if he was okay.

“ITALY!!!” Suddenly, a hand grenade dropped in front of him. He yelled at his soldiers to get back, but it detonated too quickly for anyone to react. Smoke filled the air and dimmed the sky, despite it being midday. When it cleared, Germany found himself surrounded by a plethora of dead or severely injured soldiers.

 _Goddamnit! Is there nothing I can do?_ He ran to the nearest able bodied soldier to order him to fetch the nearest medic. He looked like a child in a man’s uniform, shaking in his boots and clutching his rifle to his chest.

“L-listen! I need you to listen to me, alright?” Germany shouted, much too loudly. There was a strong ringing in his ears. “Get a doctor. Save everyone who can still walk.” The boy nervously shook his head up and down in agreement, but his eyes were terrified.

“Germany, is that right?” The boy stammered. “When is this going to end?”

“I don’t know.” He replied in a dejected tone. He wished he could give the boy more comforting words- it was his duty as a country to boost the moral of his people, after all. But he really needed to make sure Italy was okay. He felt terrible for abandoning him in the middle of battle. He had almost made it to the Italian base camp when an enemy shot at him. Caught off guard by the impact, Germany stepped backwards and accidentally fell down a ditch.

He landed face down in the bottom of a muddy ditch. His uniform was in ruins, and his arm was bleeding profusely in the area he had been shot at. Germany couldn’t help but laugh a little. Despite being an immortal being, he still lived as a mortal and bled as a mortal. But he couldn’t do things normal mortals could do, like get married and have kids… or die, eventually. There, at the bottom of the ditch, in the midst of the longest battles he’d ever endured, was where Germany finally had a moment to reflect.

“I wish I could have been born as a normal human being.” he said aloud to himself. But that was enough moping, he had to get up and be strong, for the good of his country. And he needed to see if Italy was okay. He had never left his side in the past, so every moment that passed made Germany grow even more nervous.

However, despite his best efforts, his body refused to listen to him. The weight of his country’s spirits were so dangerously low that there was nothing he could do but stay down. He was getting tired, so very tired. Germany tried to fight it the best he could, but he could feel himself slowly slipping into a deep sleep…


	2. Chapter 2

Germany woke up in a cold sweat, barely conscious of his surroundings. The room was dark, and he couldn't see anything in front of him. Had he been taken captive? No, this place seemed much too quiet. He clutched his arm as he prepared to sit up, expecting to feel a flesh wound from where the bullet had grazed him- but much to his surprise, there was no pain. It was as if the wound had completely disappeared. 

Where was he? Germany couldn't seem to recall where he was or what he was doing before the moment he had woken up. He could have sworn he had been shot moments ago, but there was nothing there. Perhaps it was just a bad dream. He tried to relax after coming to this conclusion, but he couldn't completely convince himself- there was still something bothering him. He felt as if he was forgetting about something… or someone. 

His thoughts were interrupted by a light buzzing sound. Suddenly, a small source of light appeared, illuminating the entire room. Germany picked up the object- it was a cell phone, and on the screen read the word: Mother. Curious, he accepted the call.

“Ludwig, darling! Your father and I were so worried. You weren’t answering your calls all morning.” The voice spoke.

“I-Ludwig? ” Was that his name? “I-uh, sorry for making you worry.” 

“I hope you’re not still in bed. We’ll pick you up from your apartment in 30 minutes. We’re visiting your brother today, remember?”

Truthfully, he couldn’t remember anything. But there was something so trusting and familiar about the voice of the woman on the other side of the line. He said bye to his mother and hung up the phone. Using the phone as a light source, he guided himself to the window and opened up the curtains. According to the clock on the wall, it was 11:43 a.m. 

The more he tried to figure out what was going on, the less he understood. Germany tried to recount all the strange things that had happened today: he woke up in a strange room that was apparently his apartment, and had gotten a call from a woman who was his mother. It felt as if the life he was in wasn’t his own. He was living his life as a stranger discovering everything for the first time.

Something else felt off- his body felt strangely light. It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. He had never felt so relieved, in an odd way. Germany checked the time again- 12:05 p.m. Crap, had he really been spacing out for that long? He quickly walked over to his wardrobe and set out his clothes for the day. When he went to the mirror to comb his hair, he caught himself staring at his own reflection. It was the same reflection he had always seen, but there was something new about it that he couldn’t quite put a finger on. He pressed his forehead against the mirror and stared at himself.

“Your name is Ludwig. This is who you’ve always been.” he assured himself. 

Ludwig stood back from the mirror and shook his head.  _ This is crazy, you’re making a big deal out of nothing _ . This is the life he’d always known. He was Ludwig Beilschmidt, a 22 year old man who lived in Munich, Germany... wasn't he? He grabbed his coat, put on his shoes, and locked the door behind him. He must have done that same routine over a thousand times- his body automatically reacted to the things he did, as if he was running on autopilot. Yet somehow, something about this normal task felt so uncharacteristic. 

There was another thing bothering him. He knew exactly who his parents were, yet at the same time, he couldn’t remember them at all. He had memories of them, but it felt as if he was viewing someone else’s memories- if that was even possible. Ludwig felt like he was stuck in this strange paradox of knowing and not knowing, and it was extremely frustrating. He had no reason to believe he wasn’t who he thought he was, but he still couldn't get used to the fact that something felt so abnormal about his life. 

He got a text message from the woman who was his mother.  _ Come outside, we’re here _ , it read. Ludwig’s heart started beating rapidly. He had never felt so nervous to meet the people he knew all his life, supposedly. He stepped outside and spotted his father’s black BMW, the same car he had been driving for at least 15 years. The couple inside the car smiled at him and motioned for him to get inside. Cautiously, he opened the car door. When the couple smiled at him and asked him how he was feeling, he answered that he was doing well. He didn’t think it necessary to make his parents worry by telling them he woke up in a strange body that didn’t feel completely his own, especially since no one but him felt anything peculiar about the situation. He made polite conversation with his parents for most of the trip, since their destination was quite far. 

The woman who was his mother turned back to look at him and reached for his hand, which Ludwig obliged to. 

“I’m glad you’re feeling better. You gave your mother and I quite a scare a few weeks ago,” the man driving the car recalled. 

A few weeks ago? Ludwig couldn't even remember what happened before he woke up. His mind still felt muddled, but through his faded memories, he recalled the event that his father had brought up. After weeks of doing work non-stop, Ludwig had fainted from sleep deprivation and landed himself in the hospital for a couple of days. He remembered getting an email from his boss, lecturing him about not overworking himself and ordering him to take a paid vacation. He checked his phone for the email. Sure enough, after scrolling through his messages, he found the email from his memories. It wasn’t just another thing his mind made up, like getting shot. It was real. 

“I’m sorry for making you worry. I’ll try to take it easy from now on.” he said to his mother.

His mother laughed. “You’re a Beilschmidt. Taking it easy isn’t part of your vocabulary.” She paused. “But please, take care of yourself. I can’t afford to lose you too.” 

Ludwig hadn’t noticed the bouquet of white lilies sitting on the seat next to him. There was a small card attached to the flowers, which read “Happy 27th Birthday, Gilbert.”  Gilbert… who was he? Oh right, that was his older brother. Ludwig tried to recall more memories of his past. 

He remembered his older brother Gilbert, always mischievously smiling and getting into trouble. He remembered his brother always taking care of him whenever their parents went out of town, even though Ludwig insisted he was old enough to take care of himself. He remembered pushing his brother away whenever he would try to baby him.

He remembered his brother, always healthy and strong, coming down with a slight fever one day. It wasn’t supposed to be anything serious, but the doctors wanted to run some tests, just in case. He remembered his family celebrating his brother’s 17th birthday in the hospital, and Gilbert complaining about wanting to go home since hospital food sucked. A few days later, his health suddenly took a turn for the worst, and he died. 

Ludwig’s eyes filled with tears as these memories started rushing back to him. His mother gave him a sympathetic look. “I never even got a chance to say goodbye…” he muttered.

“We miss him too”, his mother assured. 

“Can’t believe it's been 10 years already,” his father sighed. “Looks like we’re here.”

They pulled up to the gates of the cemetery, where the security guard granted them access. Ludwig grabbed the white lilies as he exited and circled around the car to stand with his parents. 

“Come, darling. Let’s wish your brother a happy birthday.” 


End file.
